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History, Memory, and Meaning: A Study of Enslaved Narratives from the Five Southeastern Tribes
Lara, Olivia G.
Lara, Olivia G.
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Abstract
This paper explores the testimony of people formerly enslaved by plantation owners in the Five Southeastern Tribes to understand the relationship between memory, identity, and meaning. Throughout the WPA Writer’s Project Slave Narratives Collection collected in Oklahoma, the overwhelming majority of the stories from formerly enslaved individuals who lived on Native American plantations expressed positive feelings towards their former enslavers. This observation has led many scholars studying slavery within these nations to conclude that Native American plantation owners exhibited greater benevolence towards enslaved peoples compared to their white counterparts in the South. While recent scholarly discourse has challenged this conclusion and the broader comparison it brings, the discussions surrounding Native American benevolence remain pertinent for understanding the constructed meanings derived from the memories of formerly enslaved individuals. This paper focuses on narratives that Native American enslavers were kinder to enslaved peoples than white southern plantation owners and analyzes the factors that influenced the emergence of these testimonies.
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Submitted to the Department of History of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for departmental honors.
Date
2024-04-18
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Department of History, University of Kansas